Translation commentary on Mark 9:14

Text:

Instead of elthontes … eidon ‘they came and saw’ of the majority of editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus, Soden and Vogels have elthōn … eiden ‘he came and saw.’

Exegesis:

All the words of this verse have already been dealt with: for ochlos polus ‘a great crowd’ cf. 5.24; grammateis ‘scribes’ cf. 1.22; suzēteō ‘disputes’ cf. 1.27.

Translation:

The they of this verse is the same as the first they of verse 9. However, in order to make the reference clear one must in some cases translate the disciples as ‘the other disciples,’ since Peter, James, and John had accompanied Jesus.

A great crowd around them may be rendered as ‘a great many people gathered around them’ (referring to the other disciples, not to Jesus and those accompanying him).

For scribes see 1.22.

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 9:14

Section 9:14–29

Jesus expelled an evil spirit from a boy

Earlier Jesus had given power to his twelve disciples to cast out demons and heal sick people. The disciples divided into groups of two and went and did those things (6:7–13). But here, when Jesus came down from the mountain with Peter, James, and John, he saw the other disciples arguing with the teachers of the Jewish law. They were arguing because the disciples were not able to make an evil spirit leave a man’s son.

When the evil spirit saw Jesus, it took control of the boy. Then Jesus caused the evil spirit to leave him. A large crowd of people was there and saw all these things.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The Healing of a Boy with an Evil Spirit (New International Version)
-or-
A boy was freed from an evil spirit
-or-
The Disciples’ Failure to Heal (NET Bible)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 17:14–21 and Luke 9:37–43.

Paragraph 9:14–24

9:14a–b

When they returned to the other disciples, they saw:

There is a textual issue here. (1) Some Greek manuscripts have plural verb endings. The implied subject of these verbs is Jesus and the three disciples who went up the mountain with him. For example, the Good News Bible says: “When they joined the rest of the disciples, they saw” (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, English Standard Version). (2) Other Greek manuscripts have singular verb endings. The implied subject of these verbs is Jesus. For example, the King James Version says: “when he came to [his] disciples, he saw” (King James Version). It is recommended that you follow option (1).
Since a new paragraph begins here, it may be natural to indicate who the word they refers to. For example:

When Jesus and the three disciples came to the other disciples, they saw…

returned to the other disciples: In 9:9a, Jesus and his disciples were descending the mountain. It is implied that they finished descending the mountain and then came to the place where the other disciples were. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit some of this implied information. For example:

When Jesus and his three disciples had come down the mountain, they reached/approached the place where the other disciples were.

disciples: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disciples means “learners” who are in a relationship with a teacher. The learners commit themselves to their teacher in order to learn from him and live according to his teaching and example. In the New Testament disciples often lived with their teacher and followed him wherever he went.

Some ways to translate disciples are:

• Use a term that refers to people who learn from a teacher or an expert. It is helpful if the term also implies that the learners are often with their teacher. For example:

learners/students
-or-
apprentices

Be careful not to use a term that would refer only to a student in a school or classroom.

• Use a term that refers to people who follow a teacher or leader by obeying his teaching. It is helpful if this term also implies learning from the teacher and actually following the teacher wherever he goes. For example:

followers
-or-
those who are committed/faithful (to a teacher/leader)

See how you translated this term at 8:34a. See also disciple in the Glossary for more information.

9:14b

they saw: In the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they saw, the word they again refers to Jesus and the three disciples who were with him on the mountain.

around them: The word them here refers to the other disciples who had not gone up the mountain with Jesus.

9:14c

scribes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scribes is the same word as in 9:11a–b.

In this context the phrase scribes refers to some of the teachers of the law. It does not refer to all of them. In some languages you may need to make this explicit. For example:

and some teachers of religious law (New Living Translation)
-or-
There were also teachers of the law who

arguing: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as arguing can also mean “discussing” (as in the Revised Standard Version in 9:16). It is not known whether the disciples and the teachers of the law were angrily arguing or calmly discussing. If possible, use an expression that allows for either meaning.

with them: The pronoun them here again refers to the disciples who had not gone up the mountain with Jesus.

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